The Puncher

 How about that? says Louisa.

She shows Terence the ear.

Too big, says Terence.

You should have said, says Louisa. What size is it supposed to be?

Matching, says Terence.

Matching what? asks Louisa.

The other ear, says Terence.

Is there another ear? asks Louisa.

Not yet, says Terence.

Louisa sighs. 

They didn't teach this in Vegetable Sculpture.

For which she got an A plus, last year.

Baby Glossy stops poking twisting slicing and nudging.

His ear is complete. And smaller than Louisa's

Arthur's phone rings.

Hey! says Arthur. How did you go?

Flat stage, says Sweezus. I moved up a couple of positions. Some guys've dropped out.

Good one, says Arthur. What are you doing right now?

Eating, says Sweezus. Goat cheese and honey of the region. What're you doing?

Watching Louisa sculpt an ear out of orange peel, says Arthur. She's made it too big, according to Terence. 

What's it for? asks Sweezus.

Don't know, says Arthur. Want to ask him?

Yeah, put him on, says Sweezus. 

Arthur hands Terence his phone.

Guess what? says Terence. My orange peel is winning.

Cool, says Sweezus. What's the competition?

With Alfonse, says Terence. He's got the short pieces. But mine got shorter too. That was because the long one got dropped on the road, and it had a split in it, and the dropping broke it open.

Okay, says Sweezus. So who's Alfonse? And what's the ear competition?

A kid, says Terence. What was the other question?

Ear competition, says Sweezus. 

We made mouths in our orange peels says Terence. But they didn't talk, so Alfonse said maybe they were ears. Then I had to come here, and he's coming too so it's a competition.

Sounds like the Tour, says Sweezus. Want to know how it's going?

Yes, says Terence. Are you winning?

No way, says Sweezus. Looks like it's going to be Roglic. But Richie's in with a chance, if he does well in the time trial tomorrow. He's on a roll at the moment. Yesterday he got a puncture.

Woo! says Terence. A puncher!.

And he caught up, says Sweezus. That goes to show what you can do if you're determined.

Wow! says Terence.

You like that? says Sweezus. 

But Terence has dropped Arthur's phone to admire the orange peel ear made by Baby-Glossy, which is the perfect size to win the competition.